March 19 (UPI) — The U.S. Department of Labor on Wednesday allocated $793,000 to support Tennessee residents who are still impacted by Tropical Storm Helene and continue receiving unemployment benefits.
“Many workers had their lives completely upended when Tropical Storm Helene swept across Tennessee” in September, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a news release.
“As communities continue working to rebuild, I’m pleased to approve additional unemployment assistance for hardworking Tennesseans who were impacted by this disaster,” Chavez-DeRemer said.
The Labor Department awarded the funds via a grant to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development to continue providing disaster-relief payments to individuals affected by the tropical storm.
The funding supports Tennessee residents who lost their jobs or had their jobs and self-employment disrupted by the natural disaster that caused widespread flooding and landslides.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Oct. 2 issued a major disaster declaration for Tennessee, which enabled state officials to seek federal assistance.
FEMA in October allocated $938,400 for disaster unemployment assistance in Tennessee.
The 2024 Atlantic storm season produced 18 named storms, including 11 hurricanes. Five of the storms qualified as major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.
An average hurricane season produces 14 named tropical storms and seven hurricanes. The 2020 storm season produced 30 named storms, which is the most on record.
Natural disasters last year killed thousands globally and inflicted billions in damages.